


The Christmas Moose

by Eden Marie Dawson (GodDamnedPlums)



Series: Domestic Sabriel [9]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel's puppy dog eyes, Christmas AU, Domestic Fluff, Domestic destiel, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gabriel's irritated, I'll update tags as I think of them, M/M, One Big Happy Family, Rare Pairings, Very AU, domestic sabriel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 22:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11564592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GodDamnedPlums/pseuds/Eden%20Marie%20Dawson
Summary: Christmas had never been something that Gabriel had been particularly interested in, but seeing the way that his baby brother lit up on the first day of December made the hectic stores, rude customers and overpriced peppermint-flavored everything just a little more tolerable.--Or--The one where Gabriel ends up finding something to ask Santa for after all, in the check out line at Wal-Mart.**This is a seriously fluffy AU I've been saving for July because of the whole "Christmas in July" theme. That, and thinking of snow somehow distracts from the near triple digit temperatures we're having in the South.**





	1. The things I do for you...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyPoly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyPoly/gifts).



> Gifting to the wonderful, beautiful and amazingly talented LadyPoly because she is awesome and deserves the love. Seriously. Give her all the loves. ♥

Christmas had never been something that Gabriel had been particularly interested in, but seeing the way that his baby brother lit up on the first day of December made the hectic stores, rude customers and overpriced peppermint-flavored everything just a little more tolerable. Castiel seemed to live for the Christmas season, and was definitely the most spirited of the five Novak children. The eldest, Michael, usually worked late during this time of the year, but he always made sure that he was there on Christmas eve to help trim the tree and keep his younger brothers, Luce and Raphael, from ‘decorating’ one another with garland in ways that nearly resembled something one might find on a website catering to the BDSM community. The Novak household was always bustling with activity, and filled with such an array of sweet smells that Gabriel could swear he’d died and gone to Heaven just as he did every year. The highlight of it all, however, was seeing the normally cool, calm and collected youngest Novak completely lose his mind over the season.

Yeah, watching the way that Castiel meticulously piped the perfect amount of icing onto the bell, star, wreath and reindeer cookies—the reindeer that managed to keep their heads whenever Luce was around—and the way that he unabashedly sang whatever Christmas tune he could find on the ancient radio Michael had drug out of the attic as he danced around the kitchen, it made it all worth it. …Usually.

Today, Gabriel wasn’t feeling the Christmas cheer. He was stuck in a line that he could have sworn was shorter than it was, and that it had somehow doubled in the three-minutes it took him to grab a diet coke from the mini fridge by the checkout line, waiting to pay for the last four rolls of wrapping paper that the store had. It was Christmas eve, he was tired, starving, and he wouldn’t have braved the nutso people that dared leave their Christmas shopping till the night before, but when Castiel had run out of wrapping paper, with an ungodly amount left to wrap, he had turned those big baby blues on him and Gabriel knew he was a goner. He’d never been able to resist his baby brother on any normal day, but he had at least been able to put up a little bit of a fight. Not today. No, as soon as he saw the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, and that seemingly always chapped lower lip beginning to tremble, he had jumped up faster than anyone his age should have been moving.

Which is how he found himself at Wal-Mart at 11:00 in the evening, braving the crowds and having an actual “sword fight” with one of the rolls of wrapping paper, because like hell he was going to go home without the one pattern that Castiel had specifically pleaded with him to find. He didn’t care who he had to stab to do so. …Okay, so maybe that wasn’t very “cheerful”, but damn it, he’d been on his feet at work all day and when he’d finally dragged his ass home after locking up early, he was only allowed to sit for a full five minutes before his brothers were dragging him up and into the kitchen to help with the cookie decorations. Silver lining there, he got to eat the leftover frosting.

It felt like he’d been in this damned line for hours, but when he looked at the large clock that the store had placed, ticking down the minutes until Christmas day, he realized he’d only been standing in line for twenty minutes. He wanted to groan, but all that would accomplish would be spraying the old woman in front of him with pieces of malted milk balls. Hey, he still had the wrapper, he’d pay for the candy when he got up there. Whenever the hell that was. For as packed as the store was, it was a miracle that he hadn’t spotted anyone that he knew.

“Loki? Is that you?” A tall, beautiful woman with caramel colored skin and perfectly styled obsidian hair came walking towards him.

“Fuck me sideways with a candy cane…. hi, Kali! What are you doing here this late?”

“Oh, Baldur is just finishing up some last-minute shopping for the children.” She waved her hand slightly, her blood-red manicured nails flashing in the fluorescent lights. He tried not to grimace at the mention of her new husband. Gabriel and Kali had been the ‘it’ couple for a few years, before she publicly ripped out his heart and stomped on it with her six-inch stilettos when she turned down his, in his opinion, thoughtful and well-planned wedding proposal. It would have hurt less if she had literally stabbed him with one of her heels. Which, he would gladly take now, as opposed to having to stand there, a smile plastered so tight on his face that he was certain that he’d have to have assistance unscrewing it, and try to pretend that he’s happy for her.

Truth be told, Kali’s refusal of his proposal and then her admission of having been cheating on him with Baldur for the better part of their three-year relationship had broken him. Sure, he kept up his appearances, because he was not about to let his bakery go under just because he had his heart broken. He’d worked too damn hard to get it.

“How are the kids doing these days? I haven’t seen them since the oldest threw that rock through my store front window.” Gabriel shifted his packages in his arms, shuffling just a little closer to the checkout. Only three more people in front of him, thank god.

The corner of her lip quirked up, almost in a smirk at the mention of the incident. ‘They’ve been doing well, obviously. How could they not?” She flicked her hand again and Gabriel caught the flash of a rather large diamond ring on her left ring finger. He felt his stomach roll. “After all, their parents are beautiful, successful people…”

“Next?” The cashier called, thankfully saving Gabriel from getting thrown out right when he was so close to his destination, because if he had to stand there and pretend to be civil for one more moment, he was going to lose it and shove one of those display candy canes right up her precious---

“Next?” he heard again. Oh, right. He flashed a bitter smile, not even caring enough to keep up the façade, and bid Kali adieu. He carried his wrapping paper rolls, a few gag gifts for Luce and Raphael, a book for Michael, and a stuffed bee he found for Castiel that he just had to get him. And, of course, the empty King Size Whoppers wrapper. The cashier was a tall, young man with shoulder length chestnut brown hair. He wore a typical blue smock over his plaid long sleeve shirt, but what really made Gabriel smile was the pair of felt antlers on the top of his head.

“You look more like a moose than a reindeer.” He blurted out before he could stop himself. Fuck, real smooth, Gabriel, real smooth.

Thankfully, the kid laughed. “Yeah, I get told that a lot.” His eyes crinkled at the edges, showing signs of age that didn’t mask the rest of his form. Clearly the kid had seen some shit in his day. A single eye rose as he held up the empty wrapper. Gabriel thought his insides were going to melt when he met the twinkling hazel eyes that were speckled with faint gold. “Get hungry while in line?”

“At least I brought the wrapper up to pay for them,” he defended with a slight pout forming on his lips. “I’ve been on my feet most of the day. I’d planned on closing the shop early and just collapsing in my favorite chair, but Cassie ran out of wrapping paper and… why am I telling you this? Your job is to just smile and nod at every customer, no matter how boring their stories can be.”

“Well, while it is true that I need to keep a smile on my face all the time, I actually like listening to everyone’s stories. It’s like a never-ending book, and each customer adds another chapter. Some repeat customers even add to the chapters.”

Okay, this kid was way too damn cute. Why did the cute ones always have to be underage? Wait…that made him sound like a creep. Rephrase. Why did the cute ones have to be legal, but too young to be interested in him?

“That’ll be $14.37, sir.” The cashier smiled, snapping himself out of his stupor. “Gabriel,” he murmured without thinking. At the other’s raised brow, he cleared his throat. “Instead of sir. My name is Gabriel.”

“Well, Gabriel, it’s $14.37.” Gabriel handed him a twenty, telling him to keep the change, and then grabbed his bags. He looked over his shoulder, flashing him a smile. So, maybe the kid was too young for him, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun. “Now you have a title for my chapter.” He could vaguely hear the cashier laughing as he exited the building and made his way back out to his car to brave the snowy trek home.


	2. Well hello there!

“Gabriel!” Castiel all but knocked him down as soon as he set foot in the door. What, had he been watching out the window for him? “Did you get it? Did you?” Because the obvious four rolls sticking out of the tacky grey bag wasn’t obvious. He held the bag with the presents behind his back and handed Castiel the other two. “Yes, Cassie, I got them. Go have fun. Do you have any fingertips left?”

“Two!” He called over his shoulder, making the older man laugh. As excited as Cas could get, he ended up snipping his fingertips more than the tape or paper more often than not. Gabriel slid the bag containing the presents into the secret cubby hole behind the foyer door, figuring he would attempt to wrap them later, after everyone had gone to sleep.

“Gabriel,” Michael called from the kitchen, making the blonde turn sharply and head towards him. It was almost mechanic how the four of them answered to the eldest Novak, and it had been that way since their mother died giving birth to Castiel. Their father hadn’t been in the picture that much, though he did send various gifts on birthdays and holidays; never once missing an occasion in their lives that deserved the love and attention of a parent. He just decided not to be present for said occasion, which honestly, Gabriel was happy about. They had a family dynamic that worked for them, and they didn’t need any wrenches thrown into it.

“What’s up, bro?” he smiled at the sight that greeted him. It was always nice to see Michael in something other than his typical business attire. Tonight, he wore black pajama bottoms and a grey t-shirt, both loose enough to look comfortable. Even his normally slicked back, raven-colored hair was tousled slightly. 

“How was the shop today?” He passed Gabriel his favorite mug; it was an oddly shaped mug that resembled a platypus, which was filled to the brim with peppermint hot cocoa. The real stuff, made with milk and cooked over a stove, not that instant garbage that Gabriel often gagged at, but would still scarf down if he had no other option.

He took a sip of the milky smooth concoction and nearly groaned at the taste. Oh yeah, that hit the spot. Despite how much he despised the overuse of peppermint, this, this he loved. “It was alright. We had a rush at the last two hours before closing, but I still let Jo go home early. I wanted her to be able to get ready for the party. Finally convinced her to corner Adam under the mistletoe and go for it.” He grinned when Michael choked on his coffee.

“Gabriel, cornering people just to kiss them is no way to go about doing things…” Though there was a teasing tone in his voice.

“Mmmhm, like you haven’t thought about it yourself sometimes. I know you like Anna and wouldn’t mind getting her underneath the mistletoe.” His grin only widened when he saw how red his big brother’s face was growing. He hit the nail on the hammer there.

“By the way, I brought a dozen sticky buns home from the shop for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Uh…there might be a problem there.” Gabriel turned to the doorway, where the second oldest Novak stood there in footed pajamas with devil rubber duckies all over them. It took all he had not to fall out in the kitchen floor, laughing his ass off. “And…and what problem would that be?”

“Luce and Balti ate them all,” Raphael called from the living room. Luce grumbled something unsavory beneath his breath before running after their brother. Michael sighed softly. “When will they ever grow up?”

“Hey, they’re approaching thirty-five and thirty-seven. I don’t think they’ll ever grow up.” Gabriel grinned slowly. “Speaking of, your birthday is coming up soon, mister I refuse to think about turning forty.”

Michael rolled his eyes as he finished his coffee. “I don’t refuse to think about it, I just refuse to acknowledge it unless absolutely necessary. And if you do any ‘over the hill’ jokes, I will push you down one.”

Gabriel smiled, but flinched when he heard crashing in the foyer. He and Michael sighed at the same time, but it was Michael that went to investigate. Since his plans for breakfast had been ruined, and he didn’t think he’d be sleeping any time soon anyway, he started making a fresh batch of sticky buns for the morning.”

“Gabe?” Castiel stuck his head in the doorway. He had wrapping paper stuck to one cheek and a few nicks on his fingers to add to the dozen he’d already accumulated. It was almost like he was collecting them. 

“Yeah?” He cocked his head while he was tying on his apron.

“Can you make a few more? I invited my friend over early. Michael said it was okay for him to spend the night, because his brother had to work late and would be over to spend the day with us tomorrow.”

“You know you don’t have to make it sound like you’re still in middle school when you talk, Cassie. You’re twenty-five.”

Castiel blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah…yeah, I know. Still, didn’t want to spring company on you and you have to cook even more. Meg and Jo won’t be over until lunch time, and I haven’t heard from Anna yet.”

Gabriel nodded, making a mental list of all the people that would be there in the morning. The Novak family owned a rather large house, so it made sense that their little misfit family of coworkers and friends would gather in their house for one giant Christmas celebration.

“When is this friend coming over, and is he sleeping in your bed? I don’t want to catch you two kids messing around! Remember, Santa Claus will be watching you!”

“Oh, that’s okay, I’m a bit of a voyeur anyway.” Gabriel nearly dropped the wooden spoon he’d been holding when that playful tone drifted into the kitchen. He turned swiftly, meeting face to face with the same twinkling hazel eyes that had rescued him from the hell that had been Kali in Wal-Mart.

“Moose?” He stammered, never having learned the cashier’s name. He laughed, his shoulders shaking underneath the flannel, dusting off whatever snow remained in his hair onto the kitchen floor. “Sam, actually. Sam Winchester. And here, I thought I might bring these as a peace offering. Cas told me who I was going to be meeting and, well, I couldn’t resist.”

Gabriel stared at him as he held out a family size bag of Whoppers. Oh, yeah, he definitely loved this kid.


End file.
